2011 Speakers

Brian Alfano is a VP, Business Relationship Manager for Umpqua Bank. Based in Portland, OR, Umpqua Bank provides banking and financial services to retail and commercial banking customers throughout Oregon, Washington, Northern California, and Nevada. Brian has been actively involved with GreenStreet Lending since it’s inception in October of 2008. He has overseen the expansion of the program for the Community Bank which focuses on Consumer and Small Business lending. To date the program has financed over 130 projects in Oregon, Washington, California and Nevada

Brian has nearly ten years of banking experience, most recently assisting in opening new Umpqua store locations and expanding the GreenStreet program. He is a board member of the Alliance of Portland Neighborhood Business Associations and a board member of REAP Inc.

Doug is currently the Commercial Solar Program Manager for Energy Trust of Oregon. He got started with solar energy in 1974 when he and his wife built a solar heated home. Doug then went to work for Portland General Electric Company as their solar and renewable energy expert. He has also designed energy conservation marketing programs, performed research and development and worked in many roles relating to energy conservation and renewables. Prior to joining Energy Trust, Doug ran Cascade Solar Consulting, where he provided a wide range of solar energy-related services. Doug has been a member of Solar Oregon since its inception in 1981 and has served a number of roles with the organization. He's a Life Member of the American Solar Energy Society and a member of the Homebuilders Association of Metro Portland.

Kacia Brockman is Senior Solar Program Manager for Energy Trust of Oregon, a nonprofit organization that invests "public purpose funding" in energy efficiency and renewable energy. Her program offers financial incentives that have resulted in more than 25 megawatts of new, distributed solar power generation in Oregon since 2003, provides quality assurance, promotes solar training for the trades and supports public awareness and education. She serves on the board of Solar Oregon, has a B.S. in Engineering Physics and worked 10 years in telecommunications engineering before redirecting her career into renewable energy.

A native Oregonian, Claire graduated from Portland State with a degree in Political Science and studied European Economic Policy in Barcelona, Spain. She spent several years working in the legal field specializing in litigation defense before returning to school to pursue GIS.

As Executive Director, Claire works to provide individuals, businesses and municipalities across the state with the resources and connections they need to make informed decisions then implement their solar energy goals. Claire has also worked closely with both communities and businesses on group solar purchase programs which have been hugely successful in increasing residential solar installations throughout the state. Prior to serving as Executive Director, Claire was Education Coordinator and Programs Manager for Solar Oregon.

Spent last two years with REAP Renewable Energy Development Assistance
Project at the Oregon Institute of Technology servicing rural small
businesses and farms in northern California and southern Oregon.

Rob Del MarResidential Solar Project Manager

Rob Del Mar has worked in the solar energy industry for 10 years. His career started in the private sector where he worked for 6 years as a mechanical systems engineer at an engineering firm in New England. As an engineer Rob worked on a wide variety of commercial and residential solar projects from design through commissioning and monitoring. Rob moved to Oregon in 2007 to work in the public sector for the Oregon Department of Energy as a Senior Policy Analyst. In 2011 he accepted a job with the Energy Trust of Oregon as their Residential Solar Project Manager.

Christopher Dymond is currently the Manager of Emerging Technologies for enXco, an EDF company. He is responsible identifying and evaluating the technical and financial merits technologies used on enXco solar projects. He previously served as a Senior Energy Analyst with the Oregon Department of Energy.

Kendal HansenResidential Solar Energy Field Adviser

Since 2006, Kendal Hansen has worked for Conservation Services Group, a nonprofit organization promoting energy efficiency and renewable energy resources nationwide. She currently represents Energy Trust of Oregon as a Residential Solar Energy Advisor supporting both the New Homes Program and the Existing Homes Program by visiting with homeowners, builders and developers to inform and educate on incorporating solar energy systems into their projects. With a biology degree from Emory University and a background in deconstruction, construction and energy efficiency, she enjoys educating people on timely opportunities for decreasing energy use in their homes in an effort to lower our impact on the planet.

Andria JacobProgram Manager

Andria Jacob manages clean energy programs for the Bureau of Planning and Sustainability at the City of Portland, Oregon. She ran the City’s multifamily energy efficiency program for several years, and currently oversees two nationally recognized programs, Clean Energy Works Oregon and Solarize Portland. Andria has over 10 years of experience in energy efficiency, renewable energy and sustainability program design and delivery. Before joining the City’s staff in 2005, Andria spent three years at Ecos Consulting, a Portland-based energy-efficiency consulting firm, designing and managing residential efficiency programs for utility clients. Andria began her career in energy efficiency at E Source, in Boulder, Colorado in 1998. She holds an MA in environmental policy from the University of Colorado at Boulder, and a BA in economics from Lehigh University. When she’s not working, Andria can be found chasing her active pre-schooler, gardening or curled up with a book.

Glenn MontgomeryExecutive Director

Glenn Montgomery is the Executive Director of Oregon Solar Energy Industries Association, a trade group exclusively focused on Oregon’s solar industry. He has over 25 years of experience spanning the private, public and non-profit sectors, and has worn many hats during that time including software developer, project manager, economic development specialist, sales executive, and volunteer coordinator to name a few.

Among his unpaid activities, Glenn is an adviser to Voice for Oregon Innovation and Sustainability (VOIS), a board trustee and choir member at First Unitarian Church, and the father of two teenage girls.

Bob PattersonPublic Works Director

Bob Patterson has worked for the City of Pendleton as a regulatory specialist, a special project engineer and currently as the Director of Public Works. He is experienced with infrastructure planning, development, design, construction and administration. His work has given him a wide range of experience with regulatory issues and implementation at the local level. Pendleton has taken a leadership role in Eastern Oregon during Bob’s time with the City by implementing commercial, municipal and residential solar installations. Pendleton’s renewable energy future includes a waste to energy program and an aquifer storage and recovery-energy recovery project.

Lee RahrResidential Solar Program Coordinator

For over 10 years, Lee Rahr has been working in natural resource conservation and regional planning, and most recently has coordinated the solar program at the City of Portland’s Bureau of Planning and Sustainability. Lee works closely with Portland’s residential community explaining the benefits of solar energy and works to identify new innovative ways to make going solar easier and more affordable. For the last two years Lee has worked closely with local communities within Portland to increase the demand for solar by managing the Solarize volume purchasing campaigns. Lee graduated from Lewis & Clark Colleges with a B.A. in International Affairs and received a Masters at the University of Oregon in Community and Regional Planning.

Gabrielle SchifferGreen Building Coordinator

Gabrielle joined the State of Oregon Building Codes Division (BCD) in 2008 to help kick off the division’s Green Building Initiative. Prior to BCD, she worked in the Governor’s Office as special projects coordinator for the Economic Revitalization Team which focused on increasing community livability and economic development opportunity through state/local collaboration. Gabrielle received an undergraduate degree from Humboldt State University and a master’s degree in Community and Regional Planning from the University of Oregon.

Dave ToozeSenior Energy Specialist

David Tooze’s 31-year career in the energy field includes a wide spectrum of experiences in energy efficiency and renewable energy. Presently he is Senior Energy Manager for the City of Portland’s Bureau of Planning and Sustainability, where his responsibilities include energy efficiency and renewable power projects in city buildings and facilities. Under his watch, more than 90 energy efficiency and renewable energy projects have been completed with annual bill savings of $4.2 million. Cumulatively those savings top $38 million per year. His current assignments include orchestrating solar electric and solar water heating systems at various city facilities.

Jaimes ValdezRenewable Energy Specialist

Jaimes has over 5 years of experience in sustainability consulting, especially in helping non-profits, governments, and businesses make the shift to clean, renewable energy sources. He has degrees in Physics and Environmental Studies, and particularly enjoys the quantitative details of energy efficiency and resource use. In his role with the BEST Business Center he works to connect small businesses in Portland with the tools and resources that they need to incorporate sustainability into their operations. He also serves as our renewable energy specialist.While an avid cyclist, he also is an enthusiast of efficient motorized vehicles powered by electricity and recycled vegetable oil. He serves on the board of the Columbia Gorge Earth Center, volunteers regularly with Columbia Riverkeeper, and tends to his chickens and garden.